Ooooey Goooey Sticky Buns

The Headlines:


Christmas morning is coming.

Let's make a Christmas Miracle!

Sticky buns recipe.



Okay... are you counting down like me?  I mean, my kids?  10 days until Christmas, 9, 8, 7... the funny thing is, when the day finally arrives, it's over in a flash.  The morning is like a blur.  And breakfast?  It's like the ONE time every year my kids don't even really need a breakfast... they're running on, I dunno, Christmas morning adrenaline!  But they need to eat something.  

SO how about this:

Yea, these babies are full of ooh, gooey goodness and - no joke - may take you 3 minutes to do.  Perhaps 5, tops. The NIGHT before.   And when you wake up you'll experience what I like to call a CHRISTMAS MORNING MIRACLE!  More on that in a minute...

My cousin made these sticky buns about 15 years ago for my entire family who had gathered in Lake Oswego, OR to celebrate my grandmothers birthday.  It really is the perfect thing to help feed a morning crowd.

Here's what you need: 
A pkg of Rhodes dinner rolls (in your freezer section)

1 pkg of jello butterscotch cook and serve pudding
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tblspn cinnamon

Here's what you do:
Find a large pan and grease it with butter.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Line the balls up in the pan. 18-20 of them.
Then pour the dry mixture over the balls.

Melt the butter and pour that over the balls too.

And this is where the Christmas morning miracle comes in: show your kids the balls the night before...

then show them what they become in the morning!  Holy smokes!  And this is not even as puffy as they usually get... often it's more poof!  Trust me, your kids will be impressed!

Now, I let them sit overnight in the oven, as seen above. But be careful with this... make sure the oven is cooled and don't use your oven in the meantime... then your Christmas miracle officially becomes a Christmas bust!

Next, (take them OUT of the oven) until it reaches 325 and pop those suckers (back) in! Let them cook for 30 minutes.  Take them out for 10 minutes before you turn them over in a large bowl.

Check it out... 18 mounds of yummy, melt in your mouth, cinnamon goodness.  Mmmmmm.  Here they are closer.  

This, my friends, is a MUST MAKE.  Your kids will think you're  better than Santa Claus.  And well, you are.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................

Sorry I just fell asleep on my key board and dreamed a little bit.  Ho ho ho! Merrrreerrry sticky buns!

Pomegranate Mojito

The Headlines:

December is party time!

Make this drink for your next gathering.

It is major yum!  

And so pretty too!



If you read my last post, you know it was a total 180 from my normal ones.  But I felt as if the subject was more than appropriate to talk about this time of year.  I hope you did too.  But today - back to business.  The business of making a FABULOUS holiday cocktail!

I believe the difference of throwing a good holiday party and a GREAT holiday party is serving up a special and very yummy holiday-appropriate cocktail.  When you have a party, you don't have to have a full bar - really unnecessary actually - you want people to go home at one point!  But one special drink makes it just that - more special!  Just choose the drink carefully.  Two criteria here: one, color.  It really should be red and green or at least all red.  Hello - it's Christmas!  Do NOT serve a cantaloupe martini.  Even though it's amazing and the recipe is on this blog.  Orange doesn't work for this occasion.  Two, quality.  It has to be good.  All the ladies will inevitably try it first and they need to love it!

If you're now at a loss because your in home bartender/husband is only proficient at margaritas - fear not.  You will be making this.

Pomegranate Mojito

Here's what you need for 1 drink:

• 2 oz pomegranate vodka (we used Stoli)
• 1 1/2 oz club soda
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 12 mint leaves
• 1/2 lime
• splash of pomegranate juice

Basically, you muddle the mint leaves and lime.  Hint: doing it in the shaker makes it even easier...

then just add the vodka, agave nectar and pomegranate juice.  Put the cap on and shake.  Then pour in the club soda and stir.  Do NOT shake with the club soda inside or it will explode!  Not that we've had that happen to us before... ah-hem (we soooo have)!  Once you put the drink in your glass of choice (we used martini but a tall/highball mojito type glass would work great too)... add a couple cubes of ice, then some mint on top --- so so pretty!  And tres Christmas-ey!

Now, if you're doing this for a group of people, just do the above ten-fold (or however many servings) but stop before the club soda.  Put the mixture in a pitcher and then add club soda and the mint topper before serving.  Usually, people will only have one cocktail so you won't have to play bartender all night!

I always say - and I stand behind it - the key to a good cocktail - hands down - is fresh ingredients.  So while there's not a lot of obvious "fresh-ness" in this drink - the mint and lime do the trick.  Major yum awaits!  Just one more picture of this beauty.

Mmmmmm... enjoy!